A new senior director has been appointed to run Jet Aviation’s Design Studio in Basel, Switzerland. Grischa Schmidt will now manage a team of 16 designers, reporting to Dirk Sapatka, general manager of the Basel facility.
Schmidt joined Jet Aviation in 2009 as senior designer project manager. He left the company in 2012 to pursue an opportunity abroad, and later returned as senior project manager interior designer in 2017.
A graduate of Art Center College of Design in Pasedena, California, Schmidt holds a Bachelor of Science in transportation design, a diploma in fine art, a vocational diploma in art history and history of architecture and a federal diploma as a restorer and carpenter. Since 1995 he has worked at a number of international companies specialising in interior and exterior yacht design, interior aircraft design, as well as automobile and residential interiors. He began at Design Works USA in California, before moving to Munich to open the first European branch of Design Works USA, later working for companies including BMW Group, Cayros in Switzerland and London and Itten&Brechbuehl.
“I’m pleased to welcome Grischa into his new role leading the Jet Aviation Design Studio,” said Sapatka. “The Design Studio is a key part of the comprehensive in-house services that we offer, and Grischa’s wealth of experience in aviation, marine and automotive design will ensure that we continue to provide exceptional interior design solutions for completion and refurbishment customers.”
The Jet Aviation Design Studio has more than 40 years of experience in VIP private aircraft interiors. Working independently and in partnership with external designers, the studio designs and supports completions and refurbishment concepts, and provides detail design and feasibility studies and design management services. Recently, the Jet Aviation Design Studio released a series of concept renderings in partnership with Boeing for the 777X.
